


The Girl in Blue

by Wooloo_Angie435



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:55:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26213731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wooloo_Angie435/pseuds/Wooloo_Angie435
Summary: There is a new girl in Galar. She's mysterious. She's strong. And she's mute. Anise has piqued Bea's interest, and as she progresses through the Gym Challenge as a contender endorsed by the Champion, Bea tries to figure out what kind of person she really is.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Sonia, Hop/Yuuri | Gloria, Kibana | Raihan/Rurina | Nessa
Kudos: 9





	1. That One Morning

**Author's Note:**

> So... this is my first fic.  
> It's a Bea x OC fanfiction so please feel free to be confused.  
> I am still improving my writing skills, so wording and grammar may not be the best.  
> Please enjoy it!

It was a peaceful, warm summer morning in Stow-on-Side as Bea soaked up the buttery sunshine. The Rookidee were chirping and everything was peaceful. She was right on schedule. Her schedule looked somewhat like this:  
5:00 AM: Wake up  
5:20 AM: Change, Wash Up  
5:30 AM: Go on A Walk with Hawlucha  
6:00 AM: Breakfast  
6:20 AM: Go Out and do Whatever You Need to Do  
7:00 AM: Arrive at the Gym

Right now, Bea was sitting on the roof of one of the Stow-on-Side houses, relaxing on the turquoise roof. Down below, Galar citizens were mingling, bargaining with the traders over prices. Indistinct chatter floated through the air like music, as Bea let the babbling become background noise.

  
“Hey, look! It’s our Gym Leader Bea!” one of the men below shouted, pointing in Bea’s direction. Noticing her, the murmuring people below began to clamor in her direction.

  
_“It’s Bea!”_

_“Wow, she’s so cool…”_

_“Rumors say that she is stronger in physical strength than anyone in Galar!”_

The words of utter adoration overwhelmed Bea as she gave them a shy smile and wave. “Yep, that’s me! I’m just enjoying my breakfast.” She called out as she held her half-eaten Big Malasada in the air.

Shouts of approval rang from below. “You know,” she said. “If you make it to the Battle Cafe in time, they may still have some left!”

As soon as she said that, the crowd immediately burst, yells and shouts as people desperately booked Corviknight Taxis and released Pokemon steeds from Pokeballs in a frenzy to make it to the Battle Cafes in time. Seeing the size of the horde, Bea winced and felt bad for the Cafe workers.

After a few minutes, all of the crowd had disappeared. The noisy Skwovet-like chatter had dissipated, leaving Bea in silence.  
Except for one person. Only one person and the vendors hadn’t left.

Bea squinted to get a better look at this mysterious girl. She wasn’t looking at her, her eyes in a completely different direction, not even noticing her. This was the first thing that intrigued Bea. The second thing that piqued Bea’s interest was her expression. Although her mouth was inexplicably covered by a silk sky blue scarf, Bea could sense that behind those dark brown eyes, she felt no emotion while passing by her. Her clothes were a bit unique, too. She wore a long-sleeve ocean blue sweater dress patterned with tiny cloud-like birds, with a pale undershirt even in the warm weather, and she wore knee-high pale blue socks with teal flats. A turquoise frilled rucksack was slung over her shoulder and in her long, black, loosely braided hair, there was a hairpin made with feathers from a foreign bird, dangling from the side of her head with blue beads at the end. With her completely blue clothes, she stood out completely. Yet she did not seem to notice. She just strolled, heading for the gym.

Bea was mesmerized by this person. She found herself staring at her, and when she finally broke out of her trance, she quickly glanced over at her watch.  
7:09! She was late! Hurriedly, she jumped off the roof and booked it to the gym. Her Gym Trainers would surely be wondering why their teacher wasn’t there. She would have to make up some excuse.

But as she climbed up the stone stairs, all she could think about was that blue girl with the mouth scarf.


	2. Anise

Fidgeting, Anise straightened and re-straightened her scarf around her mouth. Anise looked at the clock. 5:59 AM. She had had a particularly bad sleep the other night, so fixing her necktie was something that calmed her down while also covering the long scar over her lip. She breathed in and out as she forced the images out of her mind. The looming shadow. The pain searing into her face. The pleasant, thin voice.

_“Don’t speak. Just be quiet. I’ll be done soon.”_

_No!_ Anise shook her head wildly, dissipating the words in her mind as if they were a dust cloud, and methodically got dressed. After putting on her usual blue outfit, the door of Room 187 of the Budew Drop Inn creaked shut.

Anise walked down the streets of Motostoke, paying no attention to her surroundings. People murmured as she passed by, as many rumors were spread about her, one of the trainers endorsed by the Champion. She was succeeding at a rapid rate, as she had already beaten Milo, Nessa, and Kabu with her trusty team of Flying-types. She was on a roll. But that wasn’t the only thing strange about her. She was also mute.

It was not a choice. She had tried to speak many times but had never been able to. Anise had also attempted to remember why she couldn’t speak, but whenever she pushed her memory into her past, her head throbbed as if she had been struck by a Focus Blast. It always felt like she was forgetting something.

"Hey Anise!" Anise snapped out of her trance as she looked up from the ground. There, the little kid Hop was there, his friend Gloria trailing sleepily behind. Anise smiled widely behind the scarf.

Anise spread her arms open wide as Hop ran in her direction. Anise absorbed the impact of Hop's hug, clutching him tight and swinging him in the air a little.

"Gloria, this is Anise! The strong trainer I told you about! She promised me that she would help us train." Hop said, nudging Gloria in her direction. Gloria shyly stepped forward and extended her hand, which Anise shook.

"H-hi... I'm Gloria! I'm twelve and I'm working on beating Kabu. What about you?" Gloria whispered. Anise froze for a moment, then pulled out a notebook from her backpack. She began to scribble using her Roggenrola brand No. 2 pencil and flipped the notebook over so Gloria could see.

_My name is Anise and I'm nineteen years old. I am training to beat Bea or Allister. Sorry for not talking, by the way, I'm mute._

"Ah," Gloria said. "Sorry for assuming. Anyways, you were going to help us train?"

Anise nodded. She then selected an ultra ball from her belt around her dress, which confused Hop and Gloria, and released the Pokemon inside. Hop and Gloria's eyes widened as the Pokemon inside grew and stretched its wings. A large, pale blue bird shook its head a bit, ruffling its fluffy cloud-like feathers. This Pokemon was definitely not from Galar, or anywhere close by.

"W-what is that?" Hop stammered. Gloria, on the other hand, approached the fluffy cloud bird, stroking its head feathers as the Pokemon warbled appreciatively.

 _It's an Altaria. A Dragon-Flying type. I caught her in Hoenn._ Anise scribbled. As their eyes widened, Anise added more words to the lined paper. _Hop on. We're flying to the Wild Area._

As they climbed on and snuggled themselves into the fluffy feathers of the bird Pokemon, Anise brought out her map and pointed to the Axew's Eye, showing it to Altaria. Altaria nodded, then Anise perched herself in the front.

In a moment, the bird disappeared, soaring into the light blue skies.

After a very short flight, the crew landed on Axew's Eye at precisely 6:09 AM. Anise helped the kids climb down from Altaria, and they watched as she shook the Berry tree, causing three Mago berries to thump to the grassy ground. She handed each of them a berry and they each ate one. Anise turned around, pulled down her scarf, popped the Berry in her mouth, then quickly turned back around after yanking it back up. After they finished eating, Anise scribbled more words in her notebook.

 _Let's start training against these Pokemon._ She wrote. When they read these words, they erupted in cheer. Anise smiled.

After their training session, Anise flew them back to Motostoke and headed for Stow-on-Side. When she arrived, there was a giant horde of people crowding near a particular house, so she landed near the Diglett Sculptures instead. She began to wiggle through the crowd, heading for the Gym. Suddenly, the crowd popped like a bubble, dissipating at a rapid rate. Anise let out a sigh of relief and began to make her smooth trek to the Gym. The sunshine was beating on her head as she approached the dome-like building. The doors let out a soft hum as they automatically slid open and shut as she entered.

Inside, cool air conditioning circulated through the sleek, modern room. As she began to speak with the Ball Guy, behind her, the doors opened and shut as another person barged in. As Anise accepted her Heavy Ball, she turned around to examine the person who had stumbled inside. Her eyes widened as she realized who it was.

Short, bobbed, silver hair. Tan skin. Blue-gray eyes. And a large black headband with a bit of orange at the end. It was Gym Leader Bea, all right. But why was she late?

Sighing, she just entered the changing room and switched into her Challenger uniform. The number 087 on her back. She sighed as she went to the Gym Trainer upfront to complete the Gym's challenge.

.

.

.

After she beat the Gym's challenge, she headed for the pitch. Her head spun as she tried to swallow her nausea from spinning in circles for so long. She managed to get the dizziness out of her head and walked into the stadium. 

Flashing camera lights. Indistinct chatter and cheers erupted from the crowd as she walked to the center. Bea, hair slightly disheveled from running, walked from the other side. They met up in the middle.

" _Welcome, Gym Challenger. I’m Bea._ _Do you have an unshakeable spirit that won’t be moved, no matter how you are attacked? I think I’ll just test that out, shall I?"_ She said. The battle then began, both girls walked back a few steps. Bea released her Hitmontop while Anise sent out her Drifblim. Shouts of the crowd roared through the Stadium as Bea winced. The Drifblim was a Ghost-type, and Hitmontop had no effective moves. It got even worse when Drifblim KO-ed Hitmontop with just one Gust. Bea looked helplessly as Hitmontop shrunk away and faded back into its Ultra Ball. As she sent in Pangoro, Anise switched into Altaria. Bea winced, afraid for the outcome of the fight.

.

.

.

Bea watched as Machamp shrunk, letting out a guttural roar of defeat as the Altaria let out one last Max Airstream. Bea was defeated, and very easily. Bea sighed, and went to the center where she shook the Challenger's hand. 

_"Thank you for the battle._ _Phew... Facing you gave me all the explanation I needed."_ Bea gave her a tiny smile. _"Battling against you and your team... I hadn’t expected it, but it made my heart dance. It’s good to be unshakable in the face of battle. But it’s good to be moved by battle, as well."_ Bea gave the girl the Fighting Badge, and behind that scarf, Bea thought that she saw a smile. Behind Bea's steely facade, she wondered why the girl was so quiet. She had not even made a single noise of cheer when she won.

As the girl waved goodbye and melted into the background, Bea suddenly had a thought.

_Maybe..._

_Maybe she couldn't?_


	3. The Plan

_A few days after Bea and Anise's match..._

"Hm..." Sonia hummed as Bea cut her slice of Old Gateau into halves with her fork. Bea then stuffed one of the halves into her mouth, chewed, then swallowed.

"I don't know what's with her. I tried to talk to her a few times, but she avoids me. She's all over the place! She already went to Opal's gym and defeated her too! Opal even said that she was quite pink as well. I don't know what's up." Bea groaned.

Sonia and Nessa exchanged looks. "Well, Anise had wiped the floor with me as well. But I did meet up with her after and offered to get her something from the Incense lady. When I approached her, she had her bag with her. She whipped out a notebook and began to write some words." Nessa began.

"Well, what did she write?" Bea asked, intrigued.

"She wrote 'Thanks for the offer. I apologize for not speaking, I have mutism.'" Nessa quoted.

Bea nearly spat out her Roserade tea. "What?"

"I know! I asked her how it happened, but she just stayed silent, waved goodbye, then flew away on her Altaria." Nessa added.

Bea let out an exasperated sigh. "I just want to figure her out. She's one of the only people who beat me like I was just some Pokekid on Route 1."

Nessa licked her Casteliacone thoughtfully. "Maybe you can try to get closer to her _while_ she has her backpack with her?"

Bea's eyes widened. "That's genius! And if I get closer to her, then maybe she will tell me why she's mute!"

Nessa and Bea high-fived while Sonia frowned. "What will happen when she figures out that you're just being nice because you want to figure out her past? She might not ever want to approach you ever again!"

Bea considered this thoughtfully, washing down the last of her Old Gateau with her tea. "That's a good point. But if I'm extra careful, she'll never know, right?"

Nessa smiled. "That's the spirit! Time to put the plan into action!"

They fist-bumped, while Sonia shook her head disapprovingly.

"Those two are hopeless..."

.

.

.

"Hello there!" Anise whipped her head around to see Bea approaching her again. Anise raised an eyebrow as Bea ran in her direction.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Bea said. Anise simply nodded.

"Sorry for being quite invasive, but I just wanted to ask for some tips on fighting... you really wiped the floor with me last time, and I'm trying to get better..." Bea added defeatedly.

Anise felt kind of bad for Bea. Bea was one of the strongest people around, and Anise had been quite brutal.

She patted Bea's shoulder and handed her a Sweet Heart. Bea's eyes widened. If people could smile with their eyes, Anise would've had one of the sweetest smiles.

Bea gave her a small smile. Anise then tugged her arm and dragged her to Hammerlocke Hills, which was not far because they were next to the Hammerlocke Pokemon Center.

Bea shook away the cold, the snowy weather enveloping her. Anise handed her a light blue Wooloo wool jacket which Bea accepted gratefully.

"Um, thanks, but why are we here?" Bea asked.

Anise stared at her like she was dumb. Bea saw it, then groaned.

"Training? Now? Ughhhh." She groaned.

Anise's body quivered with silent laughter as they went to the Dusty Bowl.

.

.

.

Bea slumped over, leaning against Anise's sky blue camp tent.

"How do you do this all the time? And in this weather?" Bea huffed.

Anise shrugged. She threw her blue notebook in her direction. Bea scrutinized the words:

_Aren't you Galar's best karate master? Don't you train like this all the time?_

"Well, I do! But not like _this_. I don't go flying through the air while OHKO-ing every Pokemon in the way!"

More silent laughter shook Anise's body as she fanned the flames of her curry. After stirring it for a good while as well, Anise took a sniff through her scarf. The scent of anise wafted through the air. _I guess her name is appropriate,_ Bea thought. After doing so, she motioned Bea to come over. Bea stretched and stood up, lumbering over to her. They ladled the Leek Curry into the bowls of steamy, white rice. Releasing all their Pokemon, they all gathered around to eat. Anise pulled down her scarf, revealing a thin, long scar barely over her lip.

"Woah. How did that happen?" Bea asked. The scar looked old, but still very prominent.

Anise shrugged. She picked up the notebook up from where she threw it.

_I don't know. I forgot at one point._

Bea eyed her. "Was it a long time ago? How did you forget?" she continued.

_I can't remember. I can't. I've tried._

Anise bit her lip, her eyes displaying all her conflicting emotions.

"I'm sorry. I won't talk about it anymore." The words were rolling out of her mouth like marbles, spilling out and out of control. Anise gave her a sad smile. 

_Let's just eat our curry._

Bea took a spoonful of the Leek Curry. The saltiness of the leek with the bitterness of the berries made the curry taste like tears.

.

.

.

After training with Bea, Anise had flown back to Hotel Ionia, flopping onto the soft, fluffy comforter on the bed. She buried her head desperately into the soft blanket, trying to hide from the dark images in her mind, swirling around her like black smoke.

 _"Where are you going? Come back here. You can't run. You have nowhere to run."_ The looming shadow was gripping her like a vise. She had trouble breathing. In a last effort, she released Drifblim to use Dream Eater. Almost immediately, the shadows dissipated, and she could breathe again, the heavy weight lifted from her chest.

She thought _Thanks, Destiny._ Using Drifblim's Ghost abilities, she was able to read her mind. Hearing her thoughts, Drifblim entwined one of her ribbons around Anise's wrist.

 _You know what? Maybe I should play some music to calm me down._ Anise thought. Drifblim nodded approvingly. Rustling through her bag, Anise eventually dug out a small harp. Positioning the harp to the ground, it began to grow until it became a very large. Almost immediately, after sitting down on the bed, her fingers methodically began to play. It was almost like muscle instinct. She felt like she had never heard the music before, but it sounded very familiar. Anise didn't even remember learning how to play the harp. But music just flowed out from her fingers. Her thoughts began to drift away. She felt very peaceful.

Suddenly, there was a loud rapping on her door, breaking her out of her trance. She plucked the last string a bit to hard, creating an unpleasant sound. She peeked out the door.

Hop, Gloria, and Bea were at the door. One of Anise's eyebrows ticked upwards. This was a strange crew.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Hop cleared his throat. "Um, so Gloria and I were here to ask if we were going to have a training session today but... was that person on the harp _you_?"

Anise was quiet, then she nodded in Bea's direction.

Bea stammered, "I-I was just here to apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable earlier?..."

Anise stared at them. Quickly, Anise shrunk the harp and put it back in her bag. They just watched as she slung the bag over her shoulder and began to jot down some words in the notebook.

_Our session was at 4:30 PM, right? Bea can tag along if she wants, too._

They were just silent. Gloria said "It's 4:20 PM right now. May we get going?"

Anise nodded. They raced outside and obediently got onto her Altaria, Bea included.

They were silent the whole way to North Lake Miloch, which Anise appreciated.

.

.

.

After going through multiple Max Raids, they finally found one with a brighter, purple beam and wine red clouds circling up to the sky. Anise went first. Then Bea. Then Hop and Gloria. There, they found a Gigantimax Corviknight, letting out an earsplitting cry. 

The three others just stared at Anise. How were they going to beat this thing? Paying them no attention, she sent out her Altaria. Bea sent out her Hawlucha, Gloria sent out her Cinderace, and Hop sent out his Heatmor. _A Heatmor? What's that doing on his team?_ Anise thought. Hop was quiet. Gloria then broke the long silence.

"Alright! We can do this!" She exclaimed, pumping her fist for added reinforcement. Anise smiled, and made some encouraging gestures.

They were ready.

After they had successfully taken down the giant bird, Anise used a Repeat Ball on it. The ball rocked a few times, then shrunk. Hop, Gloria, and Bea cheered. Anise wrote down some more words.

_I've been meaning to get a Gigantimax Corviknight for my team. This is my sixth member._

"Well congratulations, Anise! You've finally got it!" Hop laughed, returning his Pokemon.

_I couldn't have done it without you guys. Thanks for their help._

They smiled back at her. "You're welcome, Anise!" Gloria chirped.

"Yeah, you did most of it!" Bea added.

Their kind words and warm smiles made Anise feel a different emotion than what she was used to. It was soft. It was peaceful.

Anise, for the first time in years, felt safe.


	4. The Text Message

Anise sighed, then fell backwards onto her hotel bed once more. After defeating the Gigantimax Corviknight and nicknaming it Whirlwind, Anise had dropped off Gloria and Hop back to Budew Drop Inn and Bea back to Stow-on-Side. Finally, after an excruciatingly long day, she could relax.

Anise allowed herself to unwind after a long day, humming foreign tunes in her head as she took a hot, steamy shower. As she stepped out, towel wrapped around her body, her long hair still sopping wet, her Rotom Phone buzzed very suddenly.

"Bzzt! New Message from Unknown!" Rotom said.

_Huh?_

Anise wasn't expecting any messages from anybody. Who could it be?

Wringing out her hair with a second towel, Anise squinted as her Rotom hovered over to her.

 **Unknown:** Hey, how are you doing? I haven't spoke to you since you left.

Frowning, Anise tapped out a reply.

 **Me:** Sorry, I believe you have the wrong number.

Almost immediately, her phone chimed again.

 **Unknown:** What are you talking about? It's me, Roselle!

Roselle. That name sounded familiar. Blurry memories flashed through her mind. Playing with a little girl her age. Chatting with a teen on the phone deep into the night.

 **Me:** You're my childhood friend, right?

 **Unknown:** Duh! Did you forget me already?

Before continuing her conversation, she renamed that unknown contact to "Roselle" and changed into a soft, comfy blue nightgown.

 **Me:** Actually, I did. I don't remember a lot from my past life. I guess it all happened so fast that I forgot.

 **Roselle:** Oh, really? Can we switch to voice call, BTW? My hands are getting sore.

Anise bit her lip and tapped out the next text, cringing.

 **Me:** Oh, uh. I'm mute.

Roselle's next message was so loud it almost physically hurt.

 **Roselle:** WHAT?!?!?! GURL WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME BEFORE?!??!

 **Me:** I don't know. Mutism just kinda happened, I guess.

 **Roselle:** That sounds fishy AF. Video call?

 **Me:** Sure, why not?

Only five seconds after Anise sent that message, she got an invitation to a video call with Roselle. She quickly accepted after shaking out the last droplets of water out of her hair.

A familiar face popped onto her screen. It was long, thin, and very pale with several light freckles sprinkled all over her face. Her light brown hair was in two pigtail braids, only reaching the nape of her neck. She smiled with her hazel eyes as much as she smiled with her lips.

"Hey there, bestie!" She said cheerfully.

Anise gave the girl a friendly wave, smiling.

"Is that scar doing better? Last time I saw you, it was very, very bad."

Anise nodded, finding her notebook in her bag. She began to scribble on a fresh page.

_Hi there! I'm Anise and I specialize in Flying types._

Taking in these words, Roselle frowned. "But I thought..." she never finished her sentence, shaking her head and smiling broadly again.

"Anyways, where are you? You never told me where you were going."

Anise held up a very large word underlined with thick pencil.

_GALAR._

Roselle squealed. "Eeep! I'm so happy for you! Galar has some of the best Pokemon and they even have Dynamite!"

 _Dynamax,_ Anise wrote.

"Yeah, yeah. Now tell me about this place. No! Show me some photos!

Smiling, Anise pulled out several Polaroids. They featured Postwick, Rolling Fields, Axew's Eye, Motostoke, Glimwood Tangle, Ballonlea, Hulbury, Turffield, and Stow-on-Side.

Roselle let out a low whistle. "Wow... look at that gorgeous scenery! And who's that chick next to you?" Roselle pointed to the photo of her in Stow-on-Side, where she had posed in front of the Diglett Sculptures with Bea.

_That's Bea. The Fighting type Gym Leader._

Roselle gave Anise a long look.

_What is it?_

"So... who's this _Bea_ person you're talking about?" Roselle asked teasingly.

_Well, I wiped the floor with her when we fought. She kept on trying to approach me, and she looked kinda sad. I guess I can't blame her because I was very aggressive in our fight, so I helped her train in the Dusty Bowl. Then we met up again with Gloria and Hop to take down some Dynamax Dens._

"Who are Gloria and Hop?"

_These two twelve-year-olds. They're so cute. I promised to teach them tips on how to become stronger._

"And nothing's going on in between you and Bea...?"

Anise rolled her eyes. She could see where this conversation was going.

_We're not dating. We literally met less than a week ago. Besides..._

Anise hadn't finished writing her sentence.

"Besides, what?"

_I think we would just end up getting hurt._

Roselle examined Anise. Her face portrayed zero emotion.

"Well, if you say so. I gotta go help at the Pokemon Center again! See ya later!" Roselle chirped brightly.

Anise waved good bye as Roselle hung up.

_Huh._

_Well that was strange._

Anise brushed her teeth and landed on the bed so hard that the bed bounced beneath her legs. She breathed deeply. Anise concentrated on trying to remember more about her past. This is what she had so far:

1\. She loved anise.

2\. She came from Hoenn

3\. Dragon types weren't exactly preferable.

4\. Homemade Lava Cookies were her favorite treat.

Anise added one more item to her list.

5\. She had a best friend named Roselle.

Anise concentrated and concentrated, but couldn't come up with more. She sighed, and felt bad for herself.

_It's okay. You'll get your memory back eventually._

Tucking herself under the sheets and clicking the lamp off, she drifted off to the land of dreams.

.

.

.

_She was running. From what? Or from who? It didn't matter. She had to get far, far away. Tears were streaming down from her cheeks and her heart throbbed with so much pain she thought it would burst. Suddenly, she reached a dead end. The voice behind her was louder, and louder, and louder until-_

Anise gasped, jolting herself awake. Panting, she sat upright as she gazed out of the curtains. There was only the slightest hint of a moon left, and the sun was rising with light carnation pink and tangerine orange tinting the inky blue sky.

She stared at her silver watch. 5:38. She sighed, swinging her legs over the side of her bed. No use trying to fall asleep now. Sliggoo-ishly, she got up and changed from her Cottonee nightgown to her new outfit- a comfy, flowy cyan shirt with open shoulders and a long, Fletchling egg's blue skirt with soft, white leggings underneath. She completed the look with a new scarf- knit and fat enough to cover her entire lower part of her head. She stopped to appreciate the effort put into stitching Oran Berry blossoms into the pale blue Wooloo wool. After washing up and eating some toast, she slipped into her teal flats, hiked up the straps of her turquoise frilled rucksack, and disappeared into the hallways.

.

.

.

In the early morning, Circhester was peaceful and serene. Snow still drifted from the sky, but the light flakes waltzed through the air before grazing the ground. The local Snom chirruped to each other, and workers began to assemble at their carts. Anise smiled behind her scarf. Today was the day that she would challenge the Gym Leader Melony. She would challenge her as soon as the Gym opened, which was at 7:00 AM. It was 6:27, so she had a lot of time to wait.

Gazing at her Pokeballs, she grasped two with a firm grip. The one holding her Hawlucha named Dropkick and her new Corviknight named Whirlwind.

With the Ice type being super effective against Flying, she was going to be up for a challenge. But with her own super-effective moves to counter Melony's Anise still had a chance.

Today was the day. It was another big moment.

_"Are you sure?"_

Roselle's words echoed in the back of her mind, but she pushed them away. It _was_ a big moment. And she wouldn't let it slip out of her hands.

So Anise waited.


	5. An Unexpected Error

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting in a while (I have school ;v;)

Waves of nervous nausea crashed through Anise's stomach as she clutched the ends of her fluffy scarf in her clenched fists. This was just going to be an ordinary Gym Battle, so what was she worried about? Even though she assured herself that she was fine, her gut still protested. What could be wrong? Anise didn't have an answer.

As the clock read 6:57 AM, she hurriedly hiked up the snow-dusted stairs, shivering from the sudden chill from an unexpected flurry. Anise had always disliked cold weather, and she didn't like it any more at that moment. Anise snuggled deeper into her Wooloo wool scarf and bustled through the doors, allowing the warm air inside envelop her like a cozy blanket. She blinked and absorbed in what she was seeing.

The interior of Circhester's Gym was pretty much identical to every other gym in Galar, except for the logo and Gym Trainer outfits. The gym was quite empty in the early morning, contradicting how clamored and noisy it was in the afternoon. Without other Challengers to squabble like Skwovet, Anise could breathe freely without concerns. Only shopkeepers and Gym Trainers were there at that hour. Noticing this, Anise scribbled down everything she needed on a piece of loose-leaf paper from her notebook, which included five Hyper Potions, three Revives, and six Full Restores just in case something went wrong. She then presented the list to the confused shopkeeper, who after handing Anise all the items listed, received the price, with a significant tip. The shopkeeper smiled and cheerfully recited "Thank you for shopping with us! Have a nice day!"

Anise smiled behind the scarf, and nodded. As she waved goodbye, she wondered where the tip would end up. In a child's tuition to Hammerlocke University, in a saving for a child's gift, paying rent or food... or spent on bad things like drugs or alcohol. Anise took one last tentative peek at the shopkeeper, who had tears in his eyes, staring at the extra 500 Pokédollars in his hand. Anise assured herself that the tears were a sign that they were good and approached the Gym Trainer up front.

The girl recited in a bored voice, "Welcome, Gym Challenger. Are you here to challenge our Gym Leader Melony, or whatever?"

Anise awkwardly nodded, and the girl continued to recite "Then get changed into your uniform and head on into the Challenge, I guess."

After nodding again awkwardly, Anise bolted into the changing room, changed into her uniform with the number 087 on her back, and tucked her disheveled scarf back in place before scurrying back to the girl.

After eyeing her scarf, the Gym Trainer handed her two sticks with two spheres at each end. Anise gripped them confusedly as the Trainer shoved her into the Gym Challenge.

 _Cold_. The first thing Anise felt was cold. Then the icy wind smacked into her face like a shower of darts, her face hurt, and the scarf wasn't helping. Horrified, Anise looked around desperately, but found nothing. Everything with icy and barren, and howling wind carried sleet and snow through the air, making it impossible to see. She began to run, but the detectors rumbled, and she barely avoided falling into a steep pothole. Her body was shaking uncontrollably, as she somehow made it three fourths of the way past the first field before the lightheaded, dizzy trance took over. The numbness began to seep into her fingertips and toes. Then it traveled all the way up to her limbs, causing them to feel like a Whipped Dream. She tried to move, but her body was frozen in place as she collapsed. The iciness began to work its way into her lungs, causing stinging needles to fragment her breathing every time she inhaled. As she faded into blackness, she heard an announcement being blared out over the speaker, frantic voices, and a distant sound of clamoring feet.

.

.

.

Anise awoke in a small clinic, positioned on a medical cot, a thick Whimsicott cotton blanket enveloping her. She staggered as she rose from her sleeping position as she rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes. What had happened?

Just as she wondered this, a familiar-looking woman and man entered the room. They had pale gray hair and looked like family. The woman wore a white hat and scarf (which Anise approved of) with blue-gray pants and light gray boots. The man had yellow tinted hair, funny glasses, and a familiar combination of a golden chain and a brown jacket with pointy shoes. After analyzing them for a few seconds, Anise could determine who they were.

Melony raced over to her bed while Gordie stayed at a close distance, but extremely wary of this little girl in a clinic bed.

"Hello there, darling! Are you feeling better?" exclaimed Melony, feeling her forehead and making sure Anise's breathing was fine.

Anise grabbed her notebook and wrote: _Yes. Thank you. What happened?_

Melony exchanged looks with Gordie. "Well in the middle of your Challenge, you passed out. Any idea what that was about?" she said softly.

Anise thought for a while, then scribbled more words. _Maybe trauma? I don't remember a lot from my past but I've always hated cold weather._

"Hm... that does sound possible! Oh! I know! Why don't you challenge Gordie instead? He's a Rock type specialist, so you should be fine!" Melony chirped.

" _WHAT?!"_ Gordie and Anise wrote and exclaimed the same word at the same time. Gordie? But she had been prepping for Melony? But Steel and Fighting were still super effective against rock...

"Why do I have to fight her, Ma? She's supposed to fight you!" Gordie whined. Anise silently sighed. She scribbled _That works for me. I prefer sand over snow anyways._

"Gordie?..." Melony lectured. Gordie groaned, then mumbled "Fine, but don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're a girl!"

Anise snickered silently. 

_Neither will I._

The battle was back on.


End file.
